America has long been proud of its heritage as a country built essentially on immigration. However, if you are an immigrant in Nebraska, you might feel that the country has forgotten about this heritage and its pride in that. It can be very important for you to know that you can and should feel safe here.
Some cities and counties in the nation have declared themselves to be sanctuary cities or counties. What exactly this means can vary from location to location but at some level this basically means these regions offer some protection to non-U.S. nationals who are there and who may have been charged with criminal offenses. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, there are two counties in Nebraska with this designation.
Sarpy County has been a sanctuary county for six years starting in September 2011. Since July 2014, Hall County has also been a sanctuary county. In both of these counties, Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers will not be allowed without valid warrants. Detainers are the way in which customs officials obtain details about aliens with criminal records for the purpose of taking control of their status and even eventually deporting them back to their home countries. Four counties just across the border in Iowa are also sanctuary counties.
If you would like to learn more about sanctuary counties and cities and how you may be protected against possible removal from the United States or other actions, please feel free to visit the deportation page of our Nebraska immigration website.